Podcasts are now a widely popular way to broadcast information for listeners on-the-go. Given the ability to simply download and listen later, today's society has become adjusted to the convenience that such a medium brings. The following recipe will look into the best practices revolving around podcast design.
An example of a Brainshark podcast
This section will cover best practices alongside podcast recording. are as follows:
Ensure that you have a script or outline on-hand during recording.
Your audience will want something out of the podcast. Identify what they want and strip off any extraneous details.
In addition to step 2, you may find better conversions in reducing the size of your audience and focusing on a niche audience's pain-points.
If you notice that your audio quality is not up to par, it may be worth identifying the cause, whether it is a noisy recording environment or amateur equipment.
Include a downloadable transcript for your audience to ensure that they can trace back to your words in case of audibility issues. We will further discuss how to add attachments in the Adding attachments recipe.
Podcast recordings should be kept under 15 minutes.
This section will show why the steps illustrated in the preceding How to do it section are important.
A podcast does not necessarily have to be done in one take. However, having a script or outline in front of you will lower the amount of takes required as it reduces the potential for mistakes. This will allow you to save time in recording and use it towards selling your product instead.
Unlike a slideshow/document, your listeners do not have the option to easily skip irrelevant portions of a podcast. Thus, it is important to align the podcast's message with the needs of your audience.
By splitting up your audience and addressing their individual pain points through different podcasts, you create a more effective message for all of them.
Audio quality is an instant indicator of podcast professionalism. Ensuring that your message is clear removes audibility issues and improves conversions over time.
Unlike a slideshow/document, it is much more difficult for your audience to repeat a section of a podcast to figure out what was said. Having a downloadable transcript ensures that they can look up what was not heard in case a part of the podcast was either inaudible or missed. For more information on how to attach a downloadable transcript, refer to the Adding attachments recipe.
The general rule of thumb for podcasts is not to exceed 15 minutes. If you cannot sell your product or portray your message within that span, aim to cut down unnecessary or irrelevant information and try again.